Slide switch assembly



Nov. 18, 1969 n. v. WALKER ET AL 3,479,525

SLIDE SWITCH ASSEMBLY Filed March 1, 1968 Donald V Walker INVENTOR.

gzzzchard E H "95; who yxM Anorneys United States Patent O SLIDE SWITCHASSEMBLY Donald V. Walker and Richard F. Hall, Concord, Calif.,assignors to Systron-Donner Corporation, Concord,

Califi, a corporation of California Filed Mar. 1, 1968, Ser. No. 709,637Int. Cl. H01h /02, 9/54, 1/66 US. Cl. 335-206 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE Slide switch assembly having at least one reed switch and amagnet carrier slidably movable to a position to cause operation of thereed switch.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In electronic instruments such as countersand the like, there is a necessity to provide switches to select certainfunctions in the electronic instrument. Heretofore, it has been a commonpractice to utilize rotary type switches for selecting such functions.However, it has been found that such rotary type switches limit certaindimensions of the electronic instrument and thus restrict the design ofthe packaging which can be utilized for such electronic instrumnets.There is, therefore, a need for a new and improved function selectingmeans for such instruments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND OBJECTS The slide switch assembly consistsof a slide shaft. A block is slidably mounted on the shaft for movementlongitudinally of the shaft. A magnet carrier is mounted on the blockand a magnet is carried by the magnet carrier. A reed switch is mountedin a plane which is substantially parallel to the shaft. The reed switchis provided with elements which will move in the presence of a magneticfield to operate the same. Means is provided for shifting the block withthe magnet carrier mounted thereon longitudinally of the shaft so thatthe magnetic field created by the magnet is moved into the vicinity ofthe switch to operate the same. A pluralityof reed switches and aplurality of magnet carriers can be provided to greatly increase thefunctions which can be selected at one time.

In general, it is an object of the present invention to provide a slideswitch assembly which takes very little space in one dimension.

Another object of the invention is to provide a slide switch assembly inwhich the same magnet carrier can be utilized to operate a plurality ofreed switches.

Another object of the invention is to provide a slide switch assembly ofthe above character in which a plurality of reed switches can beoperated simultaneously.

Another object of the invention is to provide an assembly of the abovecharacter in which a plurality of magnet carriers can be provided topermit the selection of multiple functions at one time.

Another object of the invention is to provide an assembly of the abovecharacter in which the magnet carriers can be mechanically interlockedto prevent the operation of certain reed switches by the carriers.

Additional objects and features of the invention will appear from thefollowing description in which the preferred embodiment is set forth inconjunction with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view ofan electronic instrument which includes a slide switch assemblyincorporating the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view looking along the Cir Patented Nov. 18,1969 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The electronic instrumentwhich is shown in FIGURE 1 includes a cabinet or case 11 which is of aconventional width such as approximately 19 inches, but which is of arelatively shallow depth or short in height as, for example, 1% inches.The case 11 is provided with spaced parallel side frame members 12having handle portions 12a. The case is also provided with a main frontpanel 13 which has a dress panel 14 and a glass panel 15 mountedtherein.

The electronic instrument which is mounted in the case 11 is providedwith indicator tubes 16 behind the glass panel 15 to provide a read-out.The indicator tubes 16 are mounted upon a printed circuit board assembly17 of the type described in copending application Ser. No. 709,602,filed Mar. 1, 1968. Feet 18 formed of a suitable material such as rubberare mounted on the bottom side of the case 11. In addition, there isprovided on the bottom front side of the case 11 a rod 19 which ispivotally mounted in a sleeve 20 carried by the bottom of the case.Detent means (not shown) is provided for retaining the rod 19 in thedesired angular positions. The rod 19 is provided with bent end portions19a which have rubber feet 22 mounted thereon. The rod 19 serves as atiltable foot which, when it is moved to a forward posi tion, serves totilt the front main panel of the instrument upwardly above the surfaceof the table on which the instrument is resting. When the tiltable footis folded back to an out-of-the-way position as shown in FIGURE 1, theinstrument rests upon the feet 18 and the feet 22 are in anout-of-the-way position.

The main front panel 13 is provided with a lower portion 13a whichextends the length of the instrument. A bottom trim strip 23 is securedto the lower portion 131: of the main front panel by suitable means suchas screws 24. A plurality of spacers 26 are provided between the bottomtrim strip 23 and the main front panel 13d and are held in place byscrews 24. The spacers 26 are spaced along the length of the trim strip23 so that there is provided a channel 27 which extends substantiallythe entire length of the main front panel but which 1s divided up by thespacer blocks 26.

Slide assemblies 35 which form a part of a slide switch assembly 36 areslidably mounted in the channel 27 provided in the main front panel ashereinafter described. The slide switch assembly 36 consists of a detentshaft or bar 37 which serves as a slide member and has a plurality ofslide assemblies 35 slidably mounted thereon. The bar 37 is formed of asuitable non-magnetic material such as Delrin 500 or stainless steel.Each of the slide assemblies 35 consists of a bearing block 38 that hasa recess 39 therein adapted to accommodate the upper side of the detentshaft or bar 37. Means is provided for removably securing the bearingblock 38 to the detent shaft 37 and consists of a spacer plate 41secured to the bearing block by a pair of screws 42 deposited on eachside of the bearing block. With the arrangement shown, it can be seenthat the bearing block 38 can be slid longitudinally of the shaft 37.

Detent means is provided for retaining the bearing block 38 inpredetermined positions longitudinally of the shaft 37 and consists of aplurality of spaced tapered holes 46 in the shaft 37 spacedlongitudinally of the shaft and opening through one surface thereof. Thetapered holes 46 are adapted to be engaged by a ball 47 carried in abore 48 provided in the block 38 and yieldably urged into the taperedhole by a spring 49 disposed within the bore. With this detent means, ascan be seen particularly in FIGURE 4, it is possible to position thebearing block 38 lonigt udinally of the shaft 37 in any one of apredetermined number of positions as determined by the spacing of thetapered holes 46 in the detent shaft 37.

Each of the slide assemblies 35 also includes a magnet carrier 51 whichis secured to the bottom side of the spacer plate 41 by two of thescrews 42. The magnet carrier 51 can be of various lengths. Thus, asshown in the drawing, it can be of a length which can carry one magnetor of a length which can carry two magnets. Each of the magnet carriersis provided with one or more magnet receiving recesses 52 which arespaced longitudinally of the magnet carrier and which face upwardly intothe case 11. A pair of permanent magnets 53 are mounted in each of therecesses 52. The magnets are placed one above the other with thepositive pole above the positive pole and the negative pole above thenegative pole so that they oppose each other. The magnets are first heldin place by a suitable material such as beeswax. Thereafter, the magnetsand the trim strip 23 and between a pair of the spacers 26. A knob 57 ismounted on the switch arm 56.

As can be seen from FIGURE 2, the slide assemblies 35 are either of theright-hand type or the left-hand type, depending on which side of thebearing block 38 the magnet carrier 51 extends.

A plurality of reed switches 61 are provided. The reed switches aremounted upon boards 62 of insulating material within the case 11 so thatthey lie in a plane which is substantially parallel to the shaft 37. Theboards 62 are fastened within the case by screws 63. The reed switches61 are of conventional type and are provided with a glass envelope 66with a stationary element 67 and of a movable element 68 encapsulatedtherein. The elements 67 and 68 extend through the glass envelope andtheir ends serve as leads 69 which extend through the boards 62 and areconnected to circuitry of a conventional type such as printed circuitrycarried by the board. For example, the boards can carry logic circuitryor time base circuitry. The reed switches 61 can be either of thenormally open or normally closed type.

As can be seen from FIGURES 2 and 3, the reed switches 61 are mounted onthe undersides of the boards 62 so that the magnets 53 carried by theslide assemblies 35 can be moved into relatively close proximity withthe reed switches so that the magnetic fields created by the permanentmagnets can operate the switches, either by moving a normally openswitch to a closed position or by moving a normally closed switch to anopen condition.

As can be seen from FIGURE 2, the reed switches can be arranged in aplurality of rows as, for example, two rows 71 and 72 which aresubstantially parallel to each other. The reed switches in the row 71are adapted to be actuated by the magnets carried by the single anddouble magnet carriers 51, whereas the reed switches 61 in the secondrow 72 are adapted to be actuated by the magnet carriers 51 which carrytwo sets of magnets.

It will be noted that one or more slide assemblies 35 are provided pairsof spacers 26. Thus, a single slide as sembly 35, or two slideassemblies, or three slide assemblies 35 are provided pairs of spacers26 .Thus, a single slide assembly 35, or two slide assemblies, or threeslide assemblies are provided between certain pairs of spacers 26. Thespacers 26 serve as front panel stops for the slide assemblies 35 andlimit their movement longitudinally of the shaft 37.

Additional means is provided for limiting movement of certain of theslide assemblies 35 longitudinally of the shaft 37 and consists of rearstop means adapted to engage the rearmost extremities of the slideswitches 36 which are provided with the magnet carriers for two sets ofmagnets. As shown in FIGURE 2, such means consists of a pair of spacedparallel strips 76 which are mounted upon posts (not shown) by means ofscrews 78. The strips 76 are aligned so that they are substantiallyparallel to the rows 71 and 72 of the reed switches 71. The spacedparallel strips 76, in addition to serving as stops for the magnetcarriers 51, also serve to guide the movement of the magnet carriers soas to maintain the desired spacing between the magnet carriers and thereed switches.

Operation and use of the slide switch assembly may now be brieflydescribed as follows. From the construction shown, it can be seen thateach of the slide assemblies 35 can be moved longitudinally of the shaft37 in spaced increments as determined by the spacing of the holes 46provided in the shaft 37. The holes 46 are in exact alignment with thereed switches so that when the ball 47 is in registration with one ofthe holes 46, the magnet carrier 51 with the magnets 53 therein,underlies one of the reed switches 61 to operate the same if there is areed switch in that position. Thus, it can be seen that as one of theslide assemblies 35 is moved along the shaft or bar 37, it operates areed switch at approximately the time the ball 47 enters one of theholes 46 because in that position, the magnets carried by the magnetcarrier immediately underlie the reed switch. If the slide assembly isof the type which carriestwo sets of magnets, the reed switch in each ofthe rows is actuated if there is a reed switch present inthe row at thepoint to which the slide assembly has been moved.

It can be seen that various interlocks are provided to prevent the slideassemblies from being moved into positions in which they could possiblyoperate certain of the reed switches which should not be operated bythat slide assembly. Thus, the spacers 26 provided in the front panel 13serve as means to limit the movement of the slide switches on the bar37. When one of the slide assemblies encounters a spacer 26, it can beshifted no further in that direction. Similarly, another slide assemblydisposed within the same space between two spacers 26 cannot be movedbeyond the slide assembly which is ahead of it or precedes it. In asimilar manner, the rear stop means consisting of strip 76 preventstravel of the double magnet carriers beyond predetermined positions.

The bottom cover for the instrument shown in broken lines in FIGURE 3 ofthe drawing functions as a magnetic shield. The shaft or bar 37 whichhas been pointed out previously is formed of a non-magnetic materialsuch as stainless steel. This prevents the shaft or bar 37 fromdistorting the magnetic field in the vicinity of the reed switches 61even though it is in relatively close proximity to the reed switches 61.

It is apparent from the foregoing that there is provided a slide switchassembly which makes it possible to control functions in electronicinstruments. It is particularly useful for such a purpose because theslide switch assembly and the slide assemblies forming a part thereofrequire very little space in a vertical dimension in the instrument, andthus make it possible to provide instruments which are very shallow indepth or short in height. Because of the interlocking arrangementprovided, it is impossible to move such slide assemblies intounallowable conditions. The slide assemblies are also very versatile inthat the front panel of the instrument can be color coded in thatcertain common areas through which certain of the slide assembliestravel can be coded in the same colors to indicate the operable areas.The slide assemblies provided are relatively simple and can be readilyoperated As can be seen, they can be provided on the bottom section ofthe instrument so that ample room remains for the electronic parts ofthe instrument.

We claim:

1. In a slide switch assembly, a shaft, a block slidably mounted on theshaft for movement longitudinally of the shaft, a magnet carrier mountedon the block, a magnet mounted on the carrier, at least one reed switchmounted in a plane substantially parallel to the shaft, said reed switchhaving elements at least one of which is movable in response to thepresence of a magnetic field, said block with said magnetic carrierbeing movable longitudinally of the shaft to position the magnetic fieldof the magnet carried by the magnet carrier to operate the reed switch.

2. An assembly as in claim 1 together with detent means carried by theblock and the shaft for yieldably retaining the block in predeterminedpositions spaced longitudinally of the shaft.

3. An assembly as in claim 1 together with means for limiting themovement of the block between predetermined positions.

4. An assembly as in claim 3 together with additional means engaging themagnet carrier for limiting the movement of the magnet carrier betweenpredetermined positions longitudinally of the slide member.

5. An assembly as in claim 1 wherein said magnet carrier carries a pairof spaced magnets and wherein additional reed swtiches are mounted insaid plane substantially parallel to the shaft, said reed switches beingarranged in parallel rows having substantially the same spacing as themagnets carried by the magnet carrier so that the reed switches in eachof the rows can be energized by said magnets carried by the magnetcarrier as the block is moved longitudinally of the shaft.

6. An assembly as in claim 5 together with additional blocks mounted onsaid slide member, a magnet carrier carried by each of said blocks, andat least one magnet carried by each of said magnet carriers, the magnetfrom said magnet carriers being aligned with said reed switches.

7. An assembly as in claim 1 wherein said reed switches are carried by aprinted circuit board.

8. In a slide switch assembly, a slide member, .a plurality of slideassemblies slidably mounted on said slide member for movementlongitudinally of the slide memher, each of said slide assembliescomprising a block mounted on the slide member for movementlongitudinally of the slide member, a magnet carrier mounted on each ofsaid blocks, certain of said magnet carriers carrying a magnet at oneposition on said magnet carrier and others of said magnet carrierscarrying spaced magnets on said magnet carrier, a support member, and aplurality of reed switches mounted on said support member, each of saidswitches having a pair of elements, one of the elemenst being movable bya magnetic field, said reed switches being arranged in spaced parallelrows having the same spacing as the magnets on said other of said magnetcarriers whereby said reed switches are operated as said slideassemblies are moved longitudinally of the slide member.

9. An assembly as in claim 8 together with a front panel having achannel therein, each of said slide assemblies having an arm extendingthrough said channel so that the slide assembl can be operated from saidfront panel.

10. An assembly as in claim 9 together with means for preventingmovement of said slide assemblies beyond predetermined points on theslide member.

11. An assembly as in claim 10 wherein said means for preventingmovement of said slide assemblies is mounted on the front panel.

12. An assembly as in claim 10 wherein said means for preventingmovement of said slide assemblies includes means engaging the rearextremities of said other of said magnet carriers to limit the movementof said other magnet carriers longitudinally of the slide member.

13. An assembly as in claim 9 wherein said magnets are in the form ofpairs of permanent magnets and heat shrinkable tubing for retaining saidpairs of magnets on said magnet carriers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1964 Jones et al 335206 3/1965Wood 335-205 X US. Cl. X.R. 335207

